This is my first full week back at home after being on the road for two weeks. Besides missing the iFarmer and my precious Future Farmkids, I think I missed my kitchen most.
That fact hit home today when we picked up our CSA share. It really is like getting a giant wrapped present every time.
To my delight, this box was filled to the brim with unexpected goodies. Turns out a King’s Hill Farm neighbor lost his entire crop of potatoes. His (and his 800 CSA members’) misfortune turned into our great fortune. In trade for KHF potatoes, we got greens that have long since been harvested and consumed by my fellow KHF CSA members: beautiful Napa cabbage, broccoli and lettuce.
Next best part this week was a load of delicious pears. They’re tiny, but Future Fruit Farms promises that these Luscious pears will be some of the best we’ve ever tasted. Can’t wait until they are fruit bowl ripened.
My final delight this week came in the form of a striped winter squash. I’ve never seen this variety before. Turns out that it’s an heirloom variety – delicata squash – that was popular in the United States through the 1920s. It fell out of favor because its delicate edible skin wasn’t ideal for transport and long-term storage.
How many times have we sacrificed taste and variety for the sake of industrialized efficiency? God bless the seed savers.
I’m already planning our weekend of VFG Test Kitchen activity.
Photo from lumierefl’s photostream on Flickr.
Virtual Farmgirl 
I love delicatas. I stumbled onto them at Taos's Cid's Market years ago. They were mass produced and came with a sticker about them with a receipe. Twice baked! Cut in half, de-seed (save fattest seeds for next year, or to toast with soysauce) bake 350 in a pan with a bit of water to keep moist (I use metal, ceramic or cast iron, once a glass pan dried out on me and shatter! as I was pulling it out of the oven -probably a freak moment in the glass pans life but never the less, I was impressed by the explosion). Bake till the skins are just getting soft enough to eat. Remove from oven, spoon out “meat” and mix with prepared veggies. I pre cook a veggie mix: onions, garlic, and whatever else is in the fridge + soy sauce and herbs. Mix the Squash with the veggies add cheese to the top and put back into the oven or if you over cooked and the skins are done (test with a clean knife) then just into the broiler to brown the cheese. You get the idea. Twice baked. Oh yeah almost forgot, the original sticker had yogurt or sour cream mixed in with the veggie mix. They both taste good, whatever you have in the fridge is my motto. Take care and enjoy. They don't winter over as long as say pumpkin or calabasas but in the right temperature setting, they do last through till feb-march for me.
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I think I'm going to try this twice baked. It looks to me like the skin is already starting to bruise and soften. Doubtful they'll make it much longer.
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I love delicatas. I stumbled onto them at Taos's Cid's Market years ago. They were mass produced and came with a sticker about them with a receipe. Twice baked! Cut in half, de-seed (save fattest seeds for next year, or to toast with soysauce) bake 350 in a pan with a bit of water to keep moist (I use metal, ceramic or cast iron, once a glass pan dried out on me and shatter! as I was pulling it out of the oven -probably a freak moment in the glass pans life but never the less, I was impressed by the explosion). Bake till the skins are just getting soft enough to eat. Remove from oven, spoon out “meat” and mix with prepared veggies. I pre cook a veggie mix: onions, garlic, and whatever else is in the fridge + soy sauce and herbs. Mix the Squash with the veggies add cheese to the top and put back into the oven or if you over cooked and the skins are done (test with a clean knife) then just into the broiler to brown the cheese. You get the idea. Twice baked. Oh yeah almost forgot, the original sticker had yogurt or sour cream mixed in with the veggie mix. They both taste good, whatever you have in the fridge is my motto. Take care and enjoy. They don't winter over as long as say pumpkin or calabasas but in the right temperature setting, they do last through till feb-march for me.
LikeLike
I think I'm going to try this twice baked. It looks to me like the skin is already starting to bruise and soften. Doubtful they'll make it much longer.
LikeLike